What We’re Reading

For being a writer and and English major, I’ve never been as much of a reader as I’d like to be. I enjoy reading, but I tend to let a lot of time slip by in between books-for-pleasure. Part of the reason is because when I DO get into a book, I get so wrapped up in it that other things slip. Therefore, once I finish the book, I feel the need to take a break so that I don’t totally neglect my family, household, and other responsibilities.

In other words, I’m an all-or-nothing reader when it comes to leisure reading. It’s a habit I’d like to change.

Havarti and I have been in the habit of watching a show or two just before bed every night. We aren’t big TV watchers, really. The only show we watch that’s on right now is Parenthood (LOVE that show). But we do like the convenience and commercial-free nature of watching Scrubs on Netflix. We also own almost every season of Frasier and Gilmore Girls on DVD. So we’ve had this episode-before-bed habit for years. We’ve talked about wanting to read instead, but you know how those habits become routine, and it’s tricky to change.

Thankfully, Havarti just went on a business trip and I sent him on the plane with The Hunger Games. Ha ha. He’s totally hooked. And I just happened to have picked up the first two books of the City of Ember series at a yard sale not long ago and decided to pre-read them for The Muse. Very good books. So with us both in the middle of good book series (is series really the plural of series?), we’ve made the leisure reading before bed thing a priority.

Oh, we’ll still watch our shows, I’m sure. But we’re trying to get in the sack a little earlier so we have time for both. And I’m not sure that I’ve solved my all-or-nothing reading problem. I let BoyWonder fall asleep on me on the couch this afternoon, even though I knew it would make bedtime tonight a nightmare, because I didn’t want to put down my book. I might have to work on that one.

So Havarti’s 3/4 of the way through The Hunger Games. I finished The People of Sparks today (the second book in the Ember series) and I don’t have the next one yet. I did, however, go to the public library book sale on Sunday and picked up a grocery bag full of books for $5. His Excellency, George Washington is on top of my stack, along with The Art of Time, Three Cups of Tea, and The Old Man and the Sea. I’ve never read anything by Hemingway. It feels like I should.

Oh, and my sis-in-law informs me that I MUST get and read the Mistborn series soon so we can discuss. So many books, so little time!

The Muse is reading the Warriors series about some warrior cats. She also just finished one of the Dear America books about the Alamo for her historical fiction book club, as well as The City of Ember, so now I’m passing The People of Sparks to her. It’s nice to see her going straight from one book to another. She’s always had a high reading ability, but she often chooses to draw or write instead of read. (Hmmm . . . wonder where she gets that from.)

Dolittle is still learning to read fluently, but she’s comfortable with most of the Dr. Seuss genre now. She doesn’t read much on her own, though. She’s much more interested in playing outside and morphing into various animals. I imagine the reading bug will catch her at some point. She does love to be read to, I think she just needs that fluency thing to hit to really want to read independently.

BoyWonder loves to “read” books, and I love to watch him. Toddler reading is just the best. He makes up all kinds of stories to go along with the pictures, or quotes parts of the books we’ve read repeatedly in his sweet little 2-year-old voice.

So I’m up for recommendations, for any of us. Any “must reads” out there?

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Annie writes about life, motherhood, world issues, beautiful places, and anything else that tickles her brain. On good days, she enjoys juggling life with her husband and homeschooling her children. On bad days, she binges on chocolate chips and dreams of traveling the world alone.

Comments 7

  1. If you are willing to give well-written historical fiction a try, The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir is quite good. My venture into this genre came first through the third book in a Phillippa Gregory trilogy: Meridon (couldn’t put it down this summer!) Some other books by these authors were not quite as satisfying though.

  2. (And, from Deva again)

    Another good book about books is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

    As far as nonfiction goes, the past year or so I’ve read Eating Animals by Jonathan Foer, and Lucky by Alice Sebold.

  3. For your cutie-pie Dolittle, try getting her to read (or reading them to her) the Animorphs series. It’s a little dated, but it’s about kids who can morph into animals. Bet she’ll love them!
    In general, I’d recommend anything by Scott Westerfield or Neil Shusterman (like Krista) – both are very science fiction but they’ll make you think.

    And now, for my list:
    Fiction:
    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
    A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
    The Radley’s by Matt Haig
    True (Sort of…) by Katherine Hannigan (brand new, you’ll laugh and cry. ‘Tis amazing)

    Nonfiction-y books:
    Phineas Gage by John Fleishman
    The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain
    They Called Themselves The KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
    Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Polan (though I really liked the YA version – much simpler)

  4. The Mazerunner trilogy by James dashner. I read the first 2 right after I read the Hunger Games trilogy and love it! The 3rd I the trilogy’s just came out. Also, the chronicles of Vlad tod by heather brewer. Loved them as well. Unwind by Neil shusterman. Very cool idea. Ummm, I’ll keep thinking!

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